Cupid: Claire Meets the god of war
by Atomdancerrr
Summary: Claire has the scare of her life when the Greek god of war shows up at their apartment while Trevor and Delightful are at the hardware store.


Name of india nucler war site

brahms lulliby in english and german

screen door part.

Delightful's weight.

what do you call a front baby carrier?

Gerard oneil spelling

Name of south america, african and norse gods of war..

Claire has the scare of her life when the Greek god of war shows up at their apartment while Trevor and Delightful are at the hardware store.

thing that that fits inside of hinges on a door.

gerrard o neil's proper spelling

Cupid. Claire Meets the god of war!

Trevor Cupid Pierce stared into his daughter's room, an uncharacteristic big frown on his usually sunny face. "Claire, we have a problem!"

Dr. Claire McCrae was at her desk in their bedroom working at her computer. She had fan mail to read and answer concerning her latest book about her "crazy" Husband." What problem dear?" Delightful's sound asleep."

Trevor stuck his head in their bedroom doorway. "Claire, how much does our daughter weigh?"

Claire sighed, "Now that _is_ a problem. Dr. Corneleus says she's only gained half an ounce since her last apointment. That brings her total foothold in this physical plain up to a whopping *!"

Trevor nodded, "And how much does Zeus Too weigh?"

"Meoorrrr!" said the Cat, happy at his being mentioned in the conversation. He rubbed against Trevor's right leg.

Finally smiling, just a a bit, Trevor bent down and petted the battle -scarred old Alley Cat.

Claire said, "I really don't know. I forgot to ask his Vet. We were having enough trouble just keeping him in the office! I'd say about 12 pounds."

Trevor shook his head, "I'd say a bit less. He just seems more heavy because he throws what little weight he's got around as if he's ten times heavier. But never-the-less he has got to weigh at least almost twice as much as our daughter!'

Claire nodded, "I would say that was a realistic accessment."

Trevor frowned again, "He's a Cat. He likes to lay on warm things. What would happen if he laid on top of Delightful weak as she is and as small as she is while she was sleeping?!"

Claire frowned, "Oh Trevor! I never even thought of that! We are going to have to get rid of him! What a shame! He's a sweet old thing for all his tough looks. And Delightful adores him!'

Trevor shook his head, "No. We are just going to have to be VERY careful! That is IT, AND get Delightful's room a screen door!"

Claire stared at her creatively crazy husband, "A screen door!? For an inside room?'

Trevor explained, "We can hear her and see her through it, and air can pass, but the Cat can't, not if we are careful!"

Claire thought about it, "Well, not a bad idea. As long as we are very careful!"

Trevor nodded, "I can't say its original. I've seen it done in other Mortal homes when I was stilll in omnopotant mode."

Claire smiled ruefully and shook her head, "I am still having trouble getting used to the idea that you aren't just crazy! 'Omnopotant viewpoint.' You actually _were!"_

Trevor laughed, "Now I wouldn't actually say that I wasn't really crazy! I am just not delusional as you thought, but dear you drive me crazy! Have been for years now!'

Claire laughed. "As you used to say, you are crazy-wise not crazy-demented or crazy-insane."

At the sound of her Mother's laughter, the little goddess of serenity awakened and giggled too, though she wasn't quite certain about what. "What is going on?" the tiny, seemingly almost newborn asked. In reality she'd been out of Claire's womb for almost two years and had been growing in it for almost nine!"

Trevor smiled at his kid, "Delightful, you and I get to take a trip to the hardware store. Mommy doesn't think I have enough loose screws so she's sending me to get some more!"

Delightful giggled.

Delightful's divine but powerless Daddy grabbed her front facing carrier * off the hook by the door where they kept it, and clapped his hands a couple of times to signal her to come to him.

Delightful levitated out of her crib and flew to her Daddy. Trevor smiled, "Don't forget, never let any Mortal see you do that but your Mom and Dr. Greeley. If modern Mortals figured out we gods are really up there on that ole mountain, we would be almost sitting ducks. Wouldn't be long before a troop of god-busters from some government or somewhere would be up there to DO something about us!"

Soberly Delightful nodded, "Yes, Cupid!"

Trevor buckled his daughter into her carrier, put on his coat, buttoned it over Delightful, wrapped his shortened version of a Doctor Who scarf around his neck with a florish and then put on his wool cap, jamming it way down over his ears. Then out the door he pranced while jabbering to his daugher in god-jive. It was a language he wanted his daughter to learn because of course it was the family language back on the 'ole mountain.'

Claire smiled and lifted her eyes briefly to the heavens though it was more to roll them than to supplicate her husband's divine but ditsy family!

She had barely had time to walk back into their bedroom and sit down at her computer desk when the doorbell rang.

_"Now who could that be?"_ She wondered. She went to the door and peered through the spy hole. _All she saw was chest!_

A bit concerned but counting on the fact they were in an apartment so the Neighbors would hear her call for help (and hoping maybe Trevor's family actually were bouthering to watch them) Claire reluctantly opened the door...

...And looked up.

The man at the door was not quite as tall as Uncle Mercury _but wow was he broad in the shoulder and well musclled! He was Greek obviously, deeply tanned and darker eyed even than her husband. But this man had no sunny demeaner. He was actually the spitting image of Trevor's kid brother, Atheros, the god of married love, but much older and fiercer; the Greek god of war!_

Claire swallowed a scream. Aries was the one Greek god, aka elementary spirit that she had mercifully not had to interact with on her brief trip to Trevor's home town! Aries, also known as Mars was Trevor's alledged father. That Uncle Mercury was probably really Trevor's father, (strongly suspected because of Delightful's red hair, Trevor's peacable nature and his Mom, the goddess of Love's infidelity) was beside the point. _This being had raised her husband and done so with an iron hand and little tolerance for his son's gentle ways and inability to kill!"_

"Well! May I come in?" the bulky figure asked impatiently.

She swallowed, "Ah, yes! Of course! You are Trevor's Dad."

"Ero's Dad." Aries corrected, "Half the village calls him, 'Trevor' now. But you Mortals first called him Eros and Eros is what he should be called."

Claire nodded, "Of course. " Of course! But 'Trevor' does mean 'favorite son.'"

Mars nodded. "True, and he most certainly is because he is the only one who has blessed any of my generation with a grandchild. For that I am grateful. Of course we both know it was my adulterous brother who really did the deed, but never-the-less I am thankful. At least some of my genes have passed on!"

Claire nodded. "You are welcome!''

The god of war marched into their spacious living room, gazing around at it approvingly. "Not bad for a Mortal dwelling. My crazy son or nephew, whichever the case may be, has done well for himself!"

Claire bit her lip and refrained from pointing out that it had been HER apartment, paid for on her Doctor's salary long before she had marrried her supposedly delusinal patient, who really turned out to be one of the three Greek love gods!

Aries marched over to his son's lazy boy and flung himself down in it. The well worn old chair gave a protesting groan.

The god of war waited expectantly.

_I am supposed to serve him something_. Claire remembered. _He was after all a god and expected it!_

Claire ran to their kitchen, looked in the fridge. She felt mortified_. There is nothing to drink in here but bottles of breast milk, ice water and tea! They'd had orange juice but as ususal the insaitaiable Uncle Mecury had drank it all up in his ususal midnight raid of their refrigerator! I wonder if he will like tea_? She poared him a glass because it seemed the safest choice.

She handed it to Aries, holding her breath.

"Ah, tea." He said calmly. He took a sip and set the glass on the table next to the chair.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief._ If it wasn't acceptable he'd made no mention of it. _She thought to herself,_ Tea has been drank by Mortals and thus their gods, for thousands of years. So no doubt this wasn't the first time Aries had drank tea even if the Greek god's ususal drinks are wine and ambrosia. _

Mars looked up at her and said, "You don't like me very much."

A shiver passed through Claire's body like a strong electric shock. _The seemingly harmless being before her was responsible for every violent conflict any Primate culture had ever been involved in from the first 2001 A Space Odesey-like "Dawn of Man" battles with sticks and bones to the first nuclear war in the Rama Empire _in what is now India,_ to the present mess in the Middle East which was begining to look more and more like a literal Armedgeddon that would end in a blood bath fought in the Megiddo valley! So yes, to say she did not like him was a severe understatement! Because of his selective omnopotance he had to be very aware of that! But to say it to his face...! But again how could she dare try to lie!?"_

The god of war saved her the trouble of trying, "I actually started out as an agriculture god. It was you Mortals who bent my plowshare into a sword! I still love to garden." He suddenly had a much more gentle look. "I am sure you were made aware during your brief visit to our abode that my lawn and gardens are the envy of Olimpus?" Then he frowned. "Also concerning my latest profession, remember I do have help. There are other gods of war: the South American diety, Hummingbird, the Norse god, * various Native American elementary spirits, the African god, *, and so forth. I don't do it alone and I never do it outside ofJehovah's will! Or Mortals. You know darn well Time circles and you Mortals created me yourselves far in the future! If war gods weren't necessary we'd have been written out of the Time-line an infinite number of revolutions ago!"

"But _why!?" _Claire asked, exasperated.

Aries said fervently, "There is a saying in the New Testament. "All things work together for good in Christ for those who love the Lord." Other traditions say it differently, but however it is said, it is Truth. All Beings in the Universe form one, cosmic-wide ecological system. Even we artificially created elementary spirits, aka pagan gods are a part of this gigantic web of life."

Claire shook her head, _unable to get thoughts of dead Children out of her mind._

Aries sighed, "All Beings can get a second chance Claire. You know that! You Mortals see to that yourselves when Science catches up with your ability to believe and desire. So Christ has his 1500 mile cube full of uploaded Mortals living forever in an idelic, virtual environment just as we olimpians have our shoe box sized temple and other little g gods have their god-keeps."

Mars smiled, "The sacred myths say the god of Faith and Passion married the Mortal-born goddess of Science and Reason. (That's you.) And produced their daughter, the goddess of serenity. In other words my alledged granddaughter though she's probably really my grand niece. You do realize our family symbolyzes what will happen in the Future? That it all turns out wonderfully in the end?"

Claire nodded, "Yes, I know that. But I still don't understand what war does that is so good and necessary other than as population control!

Aries nodded, "Just that would be enough. Human Mortals don't rush frantically around hunting for new territory as Lemmings do when they get over populated. Instead they rush towards each other with weapons in their hands! It's instinctive you know. It is driving your evolution along. Wolves keep the Carabou strong and cause them them to become stronger and faster by picking off the weakest, slowest Carabou, but Humans are their OWN Predators. As King Solomon said, 'As iron sharpens iron, Man sharpens Man.' War also leads to technological innovations as nothing else ever does! Every major war has produced so many innovations they end up saving more lives than the killing takes." Mars counted on his fingers. "Just to name a few; American Revolutionary War: the wider acceptance of small pox vaccinations. Vaccinating is causing as much harm as good now, but back then with just one disease being fought at a time it was a great idea. American, so called "Cival" War; the practice of making operations sanitary so American Soldiers on both sides actually started surviving limb amputations. So did Civilians by the billions when those better sanitary practices were taken back to Civilian hospitals. All those Survivors led to the develpment of bionics. World War I and II: Antibiotics. World War II also gave contemporary Mortals back the control of the atom which will result in asteroid diversion and Gerard On*eil Hawaii island sized space stations with natural environments and early starships (though other power sources will soon take over that job.) The Korean and Vietnam wars gave you the concept of Paramedics. Thus multitudes more started surviving automobile accidents. The Gulf wars gave you great advances in robotics and self driving automobiles which are also saving countless numbers of Mortals from violent deaths because the most dangerous componant of a car was the Nut behind the wheel. The Gulf Wars also lead to wider acceptance of mental health medicines by Soldiers. This acceptance is still being taken back to Soldier's Families resulting in much better mental health care for multitudes. Militaries are still funding much brain research. You know yourself from your profession that war-funded brain research is bearing much fruit."

Claire sighed, "And we could find no substitute for war that would do all this wonderful innovating peacefully?

Aries shrugged, "The Universe only lasts so long, Claire! Jehovah has to push you forward as fast as possible any way He can! Since the Administration Change we elementary spirits don't rule over you any more. Christ is teaching you to rule yourselves. But we still serve you. And one of the ways we serve you is by forcing your evolution along."

Claire shuttered. _But she just had to say something! _"War doesn't weed out the weakest Males any more. Since the invention of bullets and bombs and even before that, cannon balls and arrows, it became survival of the luckiest. Plus for the last few generations of wars Men are given medical examinations so only the strong, healthy ones get to be cannon fodder and risk permanent injury. The weak ones get to stay home and fight "the Battle of Bedford Falls" and they get first pick of the best Women and the best jobs. So being sick or weak has become of great survival value to Men. I believe it is taking its tole on Human health in general, because if we bred other Animals like that...!"

Mars shrugged, "Oh, Claire. Even with the 'survival of the sickest and the luckiest factor' somewhat skewing things, Human societies as a whole can either be fit or unfit depending on how well they defend themselves and/or take more territory. Fit to survive societies do better jobs of protecting Individuals while less fit to survive societies do not protect their Indviduals as well, so natural selction still occurs Claire. It has just become much more of a group effort."

Claire frowned. _But darn! She couldn't think of a proper rebuttal!_

Aries said gently, 'Daughter-in-law I did not come here to argue. I only came to fix the mess your so called 'Trevor' is about to make by his hubric dabbling in Jesus's business before it ends uncompleted. That would result in the only member of our third generation geting sufficated by a heat-seeking Ally cat!"

Claire stared at him.

Aries explained. "Eros listened so closely to what Jesus was saying he didn't bother to learn any carpentry skills. Thus he is about to flub your screen door installation!"!" Aries pounded his chest with his right fist like a Klingon greeting. "BUT I _did _learn some carpentry_! _

Claire asked skeptically, "How do you know that Eros will flub it? You never believe Cassandra!"

Aries snorted scornfully. "Cassandra's just crazy! She won't even care for herself! That's why she's living in the Manhatten Psyhciatric Institute under care of Dr. Gene Brewer.* No. I know Eros will flub putting in a screen door for the same reason he is always able to predict the weather accurately for you. He just knows his grandfather, Zeus and he knows YOU!" Well I know Eros. Mark my words the nitwit will flub his screen door project somehow!" The god of war smiled. _Amazingly when he did the family resemblance to "Trevor" suddenly became very obvious_. Aries added, "Eros is coming up the stairs now. He is dancing up them and making Delightful giggle. And my lunitic son is singing some silly Spanish ditty about Horsey's. That kid of mine IS crazy, but he's fun at times, I admit!"

Claire nodded, "He got the song from his Boss, Feliz. Delightful is becoming fluent in Spanish, English, several eras of Greek, Greek god jive, and Italian!"

Aries smiled,"And at least once version of Black Jive!"

Claire nodded, "Yes. Our daughter has a little Friend who is fluent in that who lives just over us. Well anyway you are correct of course. Now _I_ hear him!"

Their apartment door flew open and Cupid pranced in, still singing at the top of his lungs and holding a screen door above his head as if it were a war trophy.

Claire said exasperated, "Trevor, remember the Neighbors! _And_ your father's here!"

Trevor said cheerfully, "So what else is new?" Then his face whitened, "Oh you mean, My FATHER, the god of war!" Claire watched her husband with a practiced Therapist's eye as he subconsciously came almost to attention!

Aries frowned, "Son I _raised_ you. _I _am your mother's legal husband now. Your UNCLE Mercury did nothing but plow in MY field while I was away in the Pegasus Galaxy doing my duty!"

Trevor nodded, a bit red faced at being caught calling Uncle Mercury his father!" Yes Sir!" he exclaimed. By now he was completely standing at attention while still holding the screen door above his head.

Much more gently Aries said, "At ease, son." Then he growled, "Though I see I need to be around you more. You are slipping back into modern Mortal loose morals. That was not what you were sent down here to learn!"

Claire thought to herself. _The ancient Greeks and their gods were notorius for one night stands of every sort and every kind of sexual variation, some really harmful and disgusting. _Then she blanched afraid the god of war would read her mind! Then she relaxed a bit as she remembered, "_Trevor" had told her only the Big God and certain Mortal-made machines could read Human thought waves and the machines could only do it when they were physically attached to the Person._

Trevor said, "Look what I have! A screen door!" He finally set the thing down. "I had to try three different hardware stores. Most of the ones around here don't carry so large an item, plus it's winter. There is not much demand for them at this time of year in New York so most were out of stock, plus getting it home on the subway...!"

Claire laughed, "Well you succeeded in your quest, Cupid. Your Couson Herk would be proud of you!"

Aries growled, "Well I am not! As I was saying, you are a nitwit!"

Cupid's face fell, "But what's wrong with it?! I measured first. It's the right height."

Aries sighed, "But it's not the right width!"

"What!?" Trevor exclaimed. " He took his aqusition over to Delightful's bedroom and held it up. "Oh crap!" .

Claire sighed. "This apartment was constructed before handicap accessibility laws. But the screen door was manufactered afterwards. So our daughter's bedroom door is too narrow!"

Aries smiled, "Not to worry. Mortals have more foresight and sence than we realize, (sometimes.) Notice the wooden part around the screen is very wide. Plus at least you purchased a good quality door made out of whole wood not metal, plastic or paste board. So I can cut it down."

Trevor asked, "Sir, don't you want me to?"

The god of war snorted, "Ha! You? You'd flub it for sure!" The god of war scanned the apartment with his selective omnopotence. "Ah. You keep your tools in a kitchen cabinet. Why not under the sink?"

Trevor sighed, "Well number one, the sink could leak and.."

Claire finished, "...Child Protective services is not aware just how smart Delightful is. They would consider under the sink not a child-safe place to keep sharp objects. They don't realize she is too smart to hurt herself that way."

Aries shrugged, "Don't count on high intelligence to keep her out of trouble! Of course no matter where you'd put them she could acess them!''

Clarre pointed out, "But Child Protective Servives doesn't know that!'

Aries nodded, "Of course!" He went over to the cabinet and fished out their little saw. "We shall have this screen door up in two shakes of a Lamb's tail." Then he grinned again and held the saw up. "Eros, what is this?"

Trevor's eyes twinkled. "A handsaw. For future reference: We New Yorkers keep our Hawks on the ledges of buildings in downtown Manhatten where they are used for Pigeon control."

Aries nodded and grinned the family grin. "Emm, Daughter-in-Law the wind must be southerly right now!"

Trevor said cheerfully, "I think it is more due to my Wife's considerable skills at Psychiatry and Therapy!"

The god of war threw back his head and roared with laughter!

Claire stared at the two of them, amazed. _ What a shame I can't put this in my next book! But who would believe me?!" _

Aries grabbed their tape measure and measured the door-frame carefully. He took equal care in measuring the sceen-door. Then he took the little handsaw and using his massive muscles peacefully for once, had the screen-door cut down to its proper size within minutes. Then he grabbed a screw driver, screwed in the hinges, inserted the pin and had the door attached to the door-frame so quickly Claire could hardly believe it!

For a few seconds Aries stared at the results of his labors, rubbing his hands together, a very satisfied smile on his face. Then, he went over to Delightful and bent down, inspecting her carefully. "May I pick you up?" he asked.

Reluctantly Delightful said, "Yes."

Aries picked up his grandaughter and cuddling her as he walked, sat back down in Trevor's lazyboy with Delightful facing him on his lap. He smiled. "I am your Grandfather, or Grand Uncle, which ever the case may be."

Delightful nodded. Her green eyes did not leave her grandfather's face. She said, "You raised my father, Cupid, the Greek god of passionate love, as your son. You are the Greek god of war."

Aries said, "Yes, for the moment, but like my brother Mercury who has switched jobs many times, from thief to diplomat to doctor to postman I could have another job in the future, a better, more peaceful job. Would you like that?"

Delightful nodded solumly.

Aries chuckled, "I would too. I get very tired of encouraging Mortals to kill one another for a living! But it has to be done!"

Delightful grimiced.

Aries said gently. "Its over for most of them quickly, and many of them go to Heaven."

Delightful frowned and shook her tiny head. "But many are wounded for life! Mommy has Patients like that. Some wounds don't even show but their brains can have damage, or their operating systems can. Mommy said its even harder to help them when its their software more than their hardware!"

Aries sighed. "Mortal Humans don't get rid of operating system glitches very easily, do they? I regret the ones my vocation wounds more than I regret the ones who get uploaded to New Jerusalem quickly."

Delightful frowned, "But many don't make it to New Jerusalem! It is no fun to be homeless and waiting, knowing the Sun will explode someday and turn the solar system into a lake of fire!"

Aries sighed, "Yes, they can be the most tragic of all."

Again Delightful frowned. "We have Ghosts right in this complex!"

Claire swallowed, _My baby can see Dead People!? _She made a mental note to tell Delightful's Therapist! She was one of the few who had been brought into the secret that Trevor's so called delusions hadn't turned out to be so delusional after all. Claire exclaimed, "Delightful I didn't realize you had to deal with Ghosts too!

Delightful looked up at her Mommy, a sad smile on her tiny face. "It's alright Mommy. The ones in this apartment complex at least are very kind to me. Many don't even realize the Sun won't last forever so they don't comprehend their fate yet."

Claire swallowed, "Please don't tell them!"

Delightful nodded, "I won't. It would not do them any good. It is too late for them!"

Claire decided to sit down on their sofa. _All this was still too much for her! She was glad she had her Boss, Dr. Greeley to confide in. It had never dawned on her 19 years earlier when she took on a "delusional patient" who "thought he was Cupid" that there had been any possibility of the Supernatural being real! She'd prayed once in a while but only to 'Whom it Might Concern.' But all her husband's so called delusion's had turned out to be real!_

_(Well most of them. She was still pretty sure sour kraut hadn't 'been invented to bring about the destruction of the Yankees during the Revolutonary War!')_

Aries suddenly started singing, of all things, a lulluby.

Singing in German Aries sang Brahms lullyby to the baby, "*) insert german and english translation here)

Delightful had a higher intelligence level than Einstein, higher than her brillant father's and even her Uncle Vulcan's who was extrememly brilliant in every way but socially (because his brain had been slightly harmed by the heavy metals he'd worked with so he had mild, Damaged-Autism.) But smart as she was Delightful was still a baby. She relaxed in her grandfather's lap. Slowly her eyelids drooped. Soon she was sound asleep again.

Carefully so as not to wake his grandaughter, Aries slowly stood up and walked like a Ninja on rice paper over to Delightful's room and oh-so-carefully slipped the child into her crib. Then he stood up with a beautiful, gentle smile on his face. It made him look several shades lighter! He turned to his son and daughter-in-law and put his fingers to his lips, signalling to them not to wake the baby.

Then in a flash, without sound or warning, he "beamed up" back to Mount Olimpus!

Claire startled at that. "He's gone!"

Trevor sighed and shook his head sadly. "No, Claire, not really. If that were so, peace would be declared in many parts of this Planet and several other worlds and galaxies!"

*To learn about Cassandra and The Manhatten Psychiatric Institute and another fascinating character diagnosed with Diassociative Indentity Disorder, read the first three K-PAX books by the real Gene Brewer and/or see the movie, "K-PAX." And/or go to the fan-fiction section at or Don't forget to check the cross over section!


End file.
